11 nov 5 movies that we recommend! Team FLATTIRE

At FlatTire, we love watching movies about as much as we love riding our bicycles. After all, riding your bicycles in typical Amsterdam downpours are only fun for the first five minutes. Together in the office, we compiled some of our favorite films, where bicycles either make an appearance or are the star of the show — check them out below and pick one for your next movie night!

The Wizard of Oz (Fleming, 1939)

In the classic film adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s children’s series, Miss Gulch, who transforms into the evil witch in the magical land of Oz, is seen riding her bicycle down a dusty Kansas road to antagonize poor Dorothy. Who knew someone could look so sinister on a bicycle!

Bicycle Thieves (de Sica, 1948)

Vittorio de Sica’s Italian neorealist film tells the story of a man and his son searching for their stolen bicycle. Without it, the father won’t make it to work to provide for his young family. The film touches on issues of poverty and work in the years following World War II. Plus, we think Amsterdammers will identify with the fiasco of a stolen bicycle!

E.T. (Spielberg, 1982)

In the famous film scene, E.T. uses telekinesis to lift him and Elliott into the night sky as they flee the government agents looking for the little alien. We think E.T. would be a great addition to the Flat Tire mechanics team ?

The Triplets of Belleville (Chomet, 2003)

This unique animated film tells the story of Champion, a kidnapped Tour de France cyclist and his grandmother’s quest to find him. The gamblers who kidnap him create a stationary cycling machine to create bicycle races for gambling. It is up to Champion’s grandmother and their dog, Bruno, to find him in Belleville.

Wadjda (al-Mansour, 2012)

This film, the first feature-length film to be entirely shot in Saudi Arabia and the first Saudi Arabian film with a female director, is the story of Wadjda, a girl in Riyadh who desperately wants a green bicycle. Women and young girls riding bicycles is frowned upon in Saudi Arabia, so Wadjda has to resort to some creative methods to earn money to purchase one herself. This film voices the desire for freedom in a country with many limitations for girls, and the relentless desire to achieve that sense of freedom.

We hope we’ve sparked your interest in some of these bicycles-related movies…now all you need is popcorn!

Team Flat Tire